Make Any Business Meeting Efficient

How To Make Any Business Meeting Efficient

A business person must always reflect efficiency, order, diplomacy and knowledge.

A business meeting etiquette will reflect your business and you must be aware of the time-face which helps you have clear communications and effective decisions. 

Avoid long meetings which makes you feel like it will never be over again. Because I know that for young business persons will be a little difficult to run their business perfectly especially when it’s about meetings, I decided to tell you which are the most important steps to follow when you’re about to organize a partners, vendor or employees, meeting.

The main important step is that you must look and feel brilliant. 

The second most important thing which must be in your mind is that you need an OBJECTIVE. Without a clear goal you won’t be able to set the tone for your meeting and its direction will be chaotic. You must be specific and clear. For a more dynamic meeting you could ask each participant to show up their lists of ideas.

Next, think if the meeting is something really necessary or urgent because meetings require a lot of time and money. If you think that the objective can be expresses by mail, conference call, Skype of a one-on-one discussion, than choose this way and leave the actual meeting for a more important purpose.

Take into consideration inviting DECISION MAKERS. For an immediately effective meeting, stakeholder and a must. If you can’t find any decision-maker, as a subordinate of him/her to attend. Subordinates must be able to speak for their supervisors and to report what was discussed at the meeting.

It is extremely important to stand up. Any idea is understood and perceived easier and more quickly if the person speaking is standing up.

You must find the perfect time and the perfect time is NOT Monday mornings, because everyone has something to do on Monday morning. Friday afternoons are also not good for meeting because employees are tired and they think only about the weekend. The best day for a meeting is Wednesday when people are still full focused.

Make sure your meeting is no longer than an hour because attendees loose patience and focus. Time is valuable so don’t waste it with unimportant chats. In order to be productive you must start your meeting on  time and finish it on time.

The most important topics must be said at the beginning when everybody is excited and wants to know what it’s all about and if someone has to step away or leave the meeting early, he/she heard the main topics.

Make an agenda and stick to it. Make sure is no longer than one page and the main topics of conversation are the written first.

Concepts must be followed by examples. If you present some new concepts and new interesting ideas, make sure they are understood by everyone by framing an issue or a quick story and examples.

At the end of the meeting your must do a brief reiteration of the decisions, deadlines and what follows up. Everyone must leave the meeting knowing what they have to do.